Roof Fire Claims a Springs House
A couple getting their Springs house ready for the summer rental season lost everything on Saturday night to a fire that presented challenges for firefighters, not the least of which were radio communications in a known problem area.
The fire started on the roof of 99 Talmage Farm Lane, according to Tom Baker, an East Hampton Town fire marshal who looked into its cause. He said a wood-burning fireplace was in use, and it appeared that “a piece of paper flew up and landed on the roof,” sparking a blaze on the “old, dry cedar roof.”
Mr. Baker said there was no spark-arrestor on the chimney, a device that prevents the emission of flammable debris. He said all chimneys should have them.
When firefighters responded to the 9:40 p.m. alarm, they found the roof engulfed in flames. Fire personnel responded quickly, Mr. Baker said, because many were already en route to a dryer fire elsewhere in the district. That blaze was put out by the first arriving officers; others were able to detour to Talmage Farm Lane.
“It was visible from Springs-Fireplace Road,” said Springs Fire Department Chief Peter Grimes.
The homeowners, Suzanne and Jeff Hines, made it out safely with their pets. Ms. Hines told the fire marshal she discovered the fire after seeing a glow outside and stepping out to see what it was. The smoke detectors in the house did not go off. There was no smoke on the first floor and only light smoke upstairs, Chief Grimes said.
Firefighters had to pull out a ceiling between the attic and the second floor to get to the fire, which had spread to the attic, the chief said. The fire destroyed the roof, the attic, and the second floor, Mr. Baker said. The rest of the four-bedroom, three-bath house had water damage. Firefighters also used a foam fire suppressant.
It was a “tough fight,” said Mr. Baker. The only water sources were 1,000 feet in either direction from the house, and firefighters had to rely solely on tanker trucks shuttling water to a dump tank.
Chief Grimes said the firefighters had “nonstop communication problems.” The Springs Fire District had a 150-foot-tall communications tower built behind the Fort Pond Boulevard firehouse and equipped it with devices that would enhance radio and pager communications for fire and ambulance personnel, as well as cellular communications. The tower was paid for by a company that leased space on the antenna to cellphone service providers.
After it was built, however, neighbors — many of them on Talmage Farm Lane, which abuts the fire district property to the north — complained. The East Hampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals found that the fire district had to seek site plan approval, even though the Building Department had granted a permit.
The tower is currently not being utilized. The fire district is suing the zoning board, challenging its determination that building inspectors acted incorrectly in allowing its construction.
“It’s frustrating. I could hit the tower with a rock, but we can’t use it,” Chief Grimes said. When he or the fire coordinator needed to communicate with public safety dispatchers, he said, they only heard “every other word of it.” Communications at the scene were also difficult. Firefighters had to run from one place to another to relay orders — if, for example, a ladder was wanted — rather than use radio communication. “It burns up usable manpower,” the chief said. “It was extremely aggravating.”
The volunteers did what they could, with help from the East Hampton, Amagansett, and Springs departments.
While some items on the first floor may be salvageable, Mr. Baker said the Hineses, who are year-round residents, lost most of their belongings.
According to a listing on Zillow, the 2,500-square-foot house with a pool could be rented from Memorial Day through Labor Day for $55,000. “The fact that they had renters means they had someplace to go,” the fire marshal said. The homeowners could not be reached for comment.